Carla Raimondi
Carla Ayla Raimondi (born 7 September, 1998 in Milan, Italy) is an Italian singer best known for her career in musical theatre. Born and raised in Milan, Italy, Raimondi attended the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Music where she was educated in different subjects related to music, for example singing and choir. She later graduated from the London School of Musical Theatre (LSMT). After graduating from LSMT, Raimondi made her musical debut in an Italian production of Sound of Music, playing Maria, the lead role of the musical. She continued her career by playing Lucy in a smaller production of the musical Jekyll and Hyde. This became Raimondi breakthrough, making other roles in the musical theatre achievable. Early life Carla Ayla Raimondi was born on September 7th 1998, in the Italian city Milan, the daughter of Marciano and Rita Raimondi. Her older sister Gabriella, was born on November 12th, 1995, and is now a world-famous film director. Raimondi began her musical studies by playing the violin at the local Music School, which she continually pursued until 2017. There she was privately tutored and attended the school’s symphony orchestra. Raimondi also occasionally played in the Symphony Orchestra of Milan. Raimondi began her education at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Music where she studied singing, piano, choir and theatre. She later moved on by studying at the London School of Musical Theatre (LSMT) where she graduated in musical theatre. Raimondi's parents supported her through her way to success. In an interview, Raimondi explains how her parents have pushed her in a healthy way: "They didn’t push me because they wanted me to pursue music, they did it because they saw a lot of potential in me and because they saw how much it meant to me".Payton Skoda, June 1 2016 Career After graduation, Raimondi got the opportunity to play the lead in the musical Sound of Music, Maria. This was her first role in a professional stage production. Her performance was positively received and opened up for other opportunities in the future. During one of the performances, she was noticed by the singer and musical artist Carlos Abbiati and through him, received the role of Lucy in an Italian production of Jekyll and Hyde. This became Raimondi’s breakthrough in musical theatre and her performance was universally acclaimed by critics. After Jekyll and Hyde she was offered the role of Marguerite St. Just in a Broadway revival of the musical The Scarlet Pimpernel. This role she performed within two years, from 2023-2025. After the birth of Raimondi’s first child, son Alex, in late December of 2025, Raimondi took some time off to focus on her personal life. After a six-month intermission she returned to the stage, portraying Grizabella in the musical Cats and continued doing this for two years, until she got pregnant again with her second son. She is currently portraying Elphaba in the Broadway revival of Wicked ''and has done so since late 2027. Raimondi is an experienced singer and actress. She has done several characters but one means more to her. That character is Lucy in ''Jekyll and Hyde. ''Raimondi says that the role as Lucy opened up opportunities to play roles she always has dreamed of.Payton Skoda, June 1 2016 Personal life Raimondi met her future husband James Anderson during the production of ''Sound of Music, where Anderson worked as one of the producers. They got engaged in May of 2022 and married in July 2023. Their first son Alex was born in December 2025 and their second son Mitchell was born in February 2027. Because of Raimondi's and Anderson's musical careers, their children Mitchell and Alex have shown interests in music. For example, the family frequently sings together and sometimes Mitchell and Alex accompany their parents to work.Payton Skoda, June 1 2016 Credits Theatre * ''Sound of Music ''(2018) - Maria * ''Jekyll and Hyde ''(2019-22) - Lucy * ''The Scarlet Pimpernel ''(2023-25) - Marguerite St. Just * ''Cats ''(2025-27) - Grizabella * ''Wicked ''(2027-present) - Elphaba References